The Meaning of Life, Universe, and Everything

Sunday, January 8th, was my forty-second birthday. It was a beautiful day, hardly a cloud in the sky, not a care in the world. Except for some experimenting I had planned for dinner. 

We had homemade surf and turf. I had never made lobster tails before and decided to give it a try. I had read a couple recipes and watched a couple presentation videos on YouTube. One thing I learned was that kitchen scissors are my friend. I'm so glad I ran out to get them last minute the night before. There are a lot of feet you have to cut off. Then there is the cracking of the shell that is damn-near impossible. No one had the hand strength to do it, but if you take the scissors and cut the front and back everything moves where it's supposed to go. 

I coated the meat in a garlic butter sauce. Very simple to make and delicious. I used garlic powder instead of the actual herb. I'm a heathen, but I don't care because like I said, it was very simple and delicious.

Cooking it was just as easy. I decided to broil it for about six minutes until the internal temperature was above 145 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Side note: In my lobster lessons, I learned how to tell the difference between a male and female lobster by the color of the meat. A female lobster has more pink meat. Just an odd little factoid I thought was nifty.

After dinner came the real treat. My husband, Ken, had bought two tickets to Hamilton at Cleveland Playhouse Theater. He doesn't like musicals. So, our daughter Danelle and I went together -a mommy/daughter evening. It was everything we hoped for and more. 

We had seen the movie version on the Disney and listened to the songs for hours, but seeing the show live is a whole new experience. We had front box seats. I swear at one point Hamilton made eye contact with us. Dani cried four times. I cried twice. By the end we were sobbing. If you haven't seen the show, please treat yourself to it. You will not regret it.

As I sit back and reflect over the day and the past year, I can't help but smile. Life is a gift. I could go on about all the stupid crap I've survived, but that isn't the point I want to make. I love life, all the ups and downs. This in-your-face thrill ride is the best thing that will ever happen to us. We have to make the most of it while we can because, when you put aside faith, there really isn't any proof of an afterlife. We have to live. For me, there's no other way.